PedsRn1992

Being a seasoned peds nurse for 21 years, keeping an iv rate of at least a tko rate seems to help alleviate that frustrating infiltrate that always happens when the next antibiotic is due. A number of the posts relate to avoiding tubing mishaps when the child is "actively moving around and wrapping tubing around whatever they can find to wrap it around, but the line does stay open it seems with fluids continually flowing through the small catheters used in the Pediatric world. Our policy reflects not changing sites until either the iv is not needed or til the patient goes home. With this , the small catheter sizes seem to not invite as many germs into these spaces and the tape jobs that our unit uses on these kids is very purposeful and secures the sites nicely. Saline lock flushings can often "scare children" however, i use "fun and age appropiate approach to this population stating that "i have a watergun ( the saline flush syringe) and am going to clean "their magic button" (hub of the lock) and no "owies" will occur. I then shoot out some of the saline-- up in the air-- to show the child that the "squirt gun is working" Typically, kids are intriqued with procedure makes them giggle and allows distraction to really be a mindful part of the procedure "before" the child has become so overly anxious that tears flow or that they "pull away" from my actions. Not really an ebp but I find it helps alleviate anxiety